Kalamazoo, Mich. – Facing off against possibly one of the best pitchers in the Northwoods League, the Kingfish knew it would be a tough battle. They found their break-through in the eighth inning and scored four runs, resulting in a 4-2 victory over the Kalamazoo Growlers. Duffy Dyer’s team has now won the seven of their last ten and have a six game winning streak going in their quest for a play-off spot in the South Division.
The game started in favor of the Growlers, with the Kalamazoo starter Ryan Smoyer striking out four and having a no-hitter going into the sixth inning. It was Chris Godinez who was able to break the no-hitter with two outs in the top of the sixth inning following a walk to Taylor Douglas. This would be the first time the Kingfish had more than one base runner all night, but would not be the last.
It was in the eighth inning, with the game still at 1-0 for the Growlers, when the Kingfish were able to break through Smoyer. C.J Saylor was walked with one out and Brandon Gibis came in as pinch runner to threaten the Growlers lead. A pick-off attempt went wide which allowed Gibis to get to second with Alex Borglin at the dish. Borglin produced a single, advancing the runners to the corners and bringing Taylor Douglas up to the plate, who pushed across the first Kingfish run of the night.
Godinez was up next and hit a sacrifice fly to score Borglin and give the Kingfish the lead for the first time in the game. Pat Porter reached on a hit by pitch, filling up first and second. Back-to-back singles from Zach Ratcliff and Zach Jones gave the Kingfish the 4-1 lead that would seal the deal.
Kingfish starter Rex Morrow had an equally impressive night, scattering eight hits over six innings, and allowing only one run on the night. Justin Peters grabbed his first win of the year while Paul Schuster kept the Growlers silent in the ninth and picked up his seventh save on the year.
The Kingfish return to Kenosha on Monday, July 28th for a 7:05 p.m. start against the La Crosse Loggers. The night will feature the Chevrolet Lynch King Elvis LEGO Kit Giveaway.
The Kingfish office is located at 7817 Sheridan Road and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. For more information on 7-game packs, season or group tickets, please log on to kingfishbaseball.com or call 262.653.0900.
